Del Posto, Manhattan

As a thank you from our daughter and son-in-law for helping with their wedding last June, they gave us a gift of dinner for two at Del Posto in Manhattan. Del Posto is owned by Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich and Lidia Bastianich. Del Posto is located downtown, next to the Highline. It was a beautiful evening, much like tonight.

We arrived at Del Posto to find an elegant and gracious atmosphere. You arrive at the reservation desk and are warmly greeted. We were shown to our table not far from the bar. Our seat faced out into the dining area which made for great people watching. From the rich table linens to the exquisite silverware, you knew you were in wonderful dining experience.

For an amuse bouche we were served polenta with caramelized onions and salami then asparagus with San Daniele prosciutto. To accompany our meal the restaurant served small, warm from the oven mini baguettes. Instead of butter or olive oil for the bread, they took cultured cream and mixed with crème fraiche then seasoned it with salt and pepper and finally it with drizzled extra virgin olive. Oh my goodness, I could have made a meal out the warm bread and cream mixture. I wonder if Eataly carries that in their store.

For dinner, we had the five course tasting menu. To start we had two different types of pasta. One was potato gnocchi with smoked halibut collar and fiano crema and caviar and the other was Dungeness crab agnolotti with scallion and Serrano chili.  The potato gnocchi was delicate and light as air and the agnolotti had a touch of heat from the Serrano chili. Our dinner entrees were Livorno style cacciucco garlic bread soup & kelp cured cod. The fish broth was delicious as it had lobster, scallop, shrimp and cod in the broth. My husband tried the pork ribollita with bacon and onion marmellata and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which was also wonderful.

When we first sat down and began reviewing the menu, we kidded with our waiter, Mario, that we'd have the appetizer and then skip right to dessert. So when it came time for dessert, we left it to Mario to select for us. He also asked what brought us to the restaurant and we explained the gift from our daughter and son-in-law, their upcoming baby and the upcoming wedding of our son. Not only did Mario bring us our dessert, but the kitchen sent out biscotti, truffles, chocolate covered in nonpareils, assorted berries and warm zeppoles filled with jam. Mario selected for our pleasure sfogliata di mele anise and whipped mascarpone, Balconville apple vinegar and hazelnut tartufo dark chocolate and banane caramellate. Divine! As we couldn't finish all the wonderful treats, I asked for a doggie bag much to my husband's chagrin. No to worry, you pick up an elegant Del Posto shopping bag at the coat check with your unfinished treats. What a lovely way to preserve the grandeur of fine dining.

Although we have dined at several high end restaurants in Manhattan, Del Posto brought the dining experience to whole other level.   Your table had a server and at least three other assistants taking care of your. No handbags or packages on the floor here, there's a little foot stool to place them on! Every time you had a new course, a young man brought all clean silverware. From the maitre d', to the wine steward, server and assistants, you were pampered from start to finish.